The present disclosure relates to a video-based method and system for computing angle positions of parked vehicles relative to a street or curb and for determining parking violations based on the angle positions. The disclosure finds application in parking space management and enforcement. However, it is appreciated that the present exemplary embodiments are also amendable to other like applications.
Municipalities regulate parking in certain areas for public safety and ease of access reasons. One example regulation can specify an angle that a vehicle is permitted to park. More specifically, a regulation can specify that a vehicle must park parallel to a curb unless angled parking is otherwise permitted by a condition or exception. A parking angle violation can occur when a vehicle parks at an angle relative to the nominal orientation of a parking area, such as defined by a curb or painted line.
One area that is regulated by a parking angle regulation can include on-street parking lanes that extend along a street. This area can be regulated in populated regions that have limited roadways. Vehicles that fail to park at a lawful angle can jut out into the driving lane and present an obstruction or hazard to traffic moving in the lane. Therefore, infractions of parking angle regulations can result in substantial fines for the violators and can generate significant revenue for municipalities.
Traditionally, a detection of parking angle violations is performed by traffic law enforcement officers. However, this method is costly in labor required for inspection and in fines lost from undetected violations. In an effort to reduce costs and improve efficiency, municipalities are exploring the use of new technologies for automating traffic law enforcement.
One technology that has been used to automate parking management includes sensor-based methods that use sensors that output a binary signal when a vehicle is detected in a parking area. However, a high cost for installation and maintenance is associated with the sensors. Video-based technology is also being explored in other parking enforcement and management areas, such as for monitoring short term parking and for determining parking space availability. However, the video-based technology has not been extended to monitoring vehicle angle positions relative to parking space curbs and boundaries for enforcing parking angle regulations.
There is a need for a system and a method that uses video data received by a video-sensor for determining an occurrence of a violation.